Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (or MEMS) devices are becoming increasingly prevalent as low-cost, compact devices having a wide range of applications. Uses include pressure sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones, digital mirror displays, microfluidic devices, biosensors, chemical sensors, and others. MEMS transducers are typically made using standard thin film and semiconductor processing methods. As new designs, methods and materials are developed, the range of usages and capabilities of MEMS devices can be extended.
MEMS transducers are typically characterized as being anchored to a substrate and extending over a cavity in the substrate. Three general types of such transducers include a) a cantilevered beam having a first end anchored and a second end cantilevered over the cavity; b) a doubly anchored beam having both ends anchored to the substrate on opposite sides of the cavity; and c) a clamped sheet that is anchored around the periphery of the cavity. Type c) is more commonly called a clamped membrane, but the word membrane will be used in a different sense herein, so the term clamped sheet is used to avoid confusion.
Actuators can be used to provide a displacement or a vibration. For example, the amount of deflection δ of the end of a cantilever in response to a stress σ is given by Stoney's formulaδ=3σ(1−v)L2/Et2  (1),where v is Poisson's ratio, E is Young's modulus, L is the beam length, and t is the thickness of the cantilevered beam. In order to increase the amount of deflection for a cantilevered beam, one can use a longer beam length, a smaller thickness, a higher stress, a lower Poisson's ratio, or a lower Young's modulus. The resonant frequency of vibration of an undamped cantilevered beam is given byf=ω0/2π=(k/m)1/2/2π  (2),where k is the spring constant and m is the mass. For a cantilevered beam of constant width w, the spring constant k is given byk=Ewt3/4L3  (3).It can be shown that the dynamic mass m of an oscillating cantilevered beam is approximately one quarter of the actual mass of ρwtL (ρ being the density of the beam material), so that within a few percent, the resonant frequency of vibration of an undamped cantilevered beam is approximatelyf˜(t/2πL2)(E/ρ)1/2  (4).For a lower resonant frequency one can use a smaller Young's modulus, a smaller thickness, a longer length, or a larger density. A doubly anchored beam typically has a lower amount of deflection and a higher resonant frequency than a cantilevered beam having comparable geometry and materials. A clamped sheet typically has an even lower amount of deflection and an even higher resonant frequency.
Based on material properties and geometries commonly used for MEMS transducers the amount of deflection can be limited, as can the frequency range, so that some types of desired usages are either not available or do not operate with a preferred degree of energy efficiency, spatial compactness, or reliability. In addition, typical MEMS transducers operate independently. For some applications independent operation of MEMS transducers is not able to provide the range of performance desired. Further, typical MEMS transducer designs do not provide a sealed cavity which can be beneficial for some fluidic applications.
A fluid ejector incorporating a MEMS transducer in a fluid chamber ejects a drop through a nozzle by deflecting the MEMS transducer. Typically, conventional fluid ejectors include a cantilevered beam as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,561,627 or a doubly anchored beam as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,258. The amount of fluid that can be ejected by conventional fluid ejectors is related to the amount of displacement of the MEMS transducer.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide a fluid ejector that includes a MEMS transducer design and method of operation that facilitates low cost fluid ejecting devices having improved volumetric displacement, provides an ejection force increases spatial compactness of an array of fluid ejectors, or increases ejector compatibility with fluids having different fluid properties.
In a fluid ejector that includes a mechanical actuator, for example, a conventional piezoelectric actuator, standing waves can be undesirably set up in the substrate, which interferes with reliable fluid ejection. Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide a fluid ejector actuator that causes less vibrational energy to be coupled into the substrate.
Fluid ejectors are also used in conventional inkjet printing applications. In drop-on-demand inkjet printing ink drops are typically ejected onto a print medium using a pressurization actuator (thermal or piezoelectric, for example). Selective activation of the actuator causes the formation and ejection of a flying ink drop that crosses the space between the printhead and the print medium and strikes the print medium. The formation of printed images is achieved by controlling the individual formation of ink drops, as is required to create the desired image. Motion of the print medium relative to the printhead can consist of keeping the printhead stationary and advancing the print medium past the printhead while the drops are ejected. This architecture is appropriate if the nozzle array on the printhead can address the entire region of interest across the width of the print medium. Such printheads are sometimes called pagewidth printheads.
A second type of printer architecture is the carriage printer, where the printhead nozzle array is somewhat smaller than the extent of the region of interest for printing on the print medium and the printhead is mounted on a carriage. In a carriage printer, the print medium is advanced a given distance along a print medium advance direction and then stopped. While the print medium is stopped, the printhead carriage is moved in a carriage scan direction that is substantially perpendicular to the print medium advance direction as the drops are ejected from the nozzles. After the carriage has printed a swath of the image while traversing the print medium, the print medium is advanced, the carriage direction of motion is reversed, and the image is formed swath by swath.
For either page-width printers or carriage printers, there is an ongoing need to provide a printhead having arrays of large numbers of fluid ejectors arranged in a relatively small space. Accordingly, there is also an ongoing need to provide a fluid ejector that is spatially compact and is capable of ejecting a drop a required size, and that provides sufficient force at an appropriate operating frequency to eject high viscosity inks, such as nonaqueous inks. Additionally, for ejecting some types of inks, there is an ongoing need to provide a fluid ejecting mechanism that does not impart excessive heat into the inks (that in some instances also requiring subsequent cooling) so as to increase ink compatibility and facilitate increased drop ejection frequency.
In addition to conventional printing applications, fluid ejectors can be used for ejection of other types of materials. For ejecting materials that can be damaged by excessive heat, there is an ongoing need to provide a fluid ejector that does not apply excessive heat to the fluid being ejected so as to minimizes the likelihood of properties of the fluid changing during drop ejection.